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Every week, I maintain THE TEMPLATE, an award-winningWinner of the 2015 Plank Center Award (public relations org.) for commitment to mentorship. blog that's been viewed more than 1.5 million times by people all over the world. In every column, I provide step-by-step instruction to help you become a stronger communicator. Like I always say, "Write well, open doors!"

August 20, 2013

Why You Need a #PersonalHashtagCampaign

By Danny Rubin

Photo from itupictures (Flickr)

#IHateFakeMediaFriends

With one furious hashtag, Kim Kardashian blasted TV host Katie Couric for questioning why the reality star is so famous. Naturally, Kim could only respond through a bitter retort visible to millions upon millions of people.

What choice did she have?

Remember when the ‘pound’ sign was exclusively a tease for more information on social media? If we searched the particular hashtag, we would find more content related to the word or phrase.

Without warning, the hashtag morphed into an amusing way to describe our mood or the moment. We need to tell the world how we feel, and a hashtag seems the snappiest way to do it.

#notimeforacompletesentence

Hang on a sec. What if our unique hashtags could revolutionize the idea of a resume and professional portfolio?

#whoa

Introducing the #PersonalHashtagCampaign

Let’s say you send out dozens of resumes as you look in every direction for a job. Right below your name, you add a personal hashtag (in my case, #dannyrubinportfolio). Also throw that hashtag at the top of cover letters and in your email signature.

Think about it. An employer reads so many predictable resumes that his eyes start to roll into the back of his head. All of a sudden, he notices a personal hashtag in the corner of yours. He’s intrigued. He jumps on Twitter, types in your hashtag and finds a neat little list of your greatest stuff.

Before long, he’s clicking around and getting to know you while everyone else is lost in the mountain of resumes piled on his desk.

#victoryisyours

Even if you have a solid career and no plans to quit, a hashtag like #yournameportfolio is an ongoing glimpse into your world. You can link people to:

You then have a living, breathing portfolio accessible to anyone on the planet. A person only needs to stumble upon #yournameportfolio (or whatever you choose to call it), and — bam — you are on full display.

Kinda makes a pdf resume feel insignificant.

#onelessreasonforpaper #savintrees

What will you call your #personalhashtagcampaign? And what will you share?

In business today, it’s all about telling your story faster and smarter than the next person.